Meanwhile, as the Cybersquad and their friends embarked on their quest to find the crystals, The Hacker and the villains emerged from the portal in the Northern Frontier. Each of them wore expressions of astonishment as they stepped out, taking in their new surroundings and realization that they had arrived in a whole new dimension.
"Wow! So this is Cyberspace, huh?" Chuck exclaimed in amazement after stepping out of the portal, with Hacker and the rest of the villains following shortly behind.
"Sure is a lot colder than I expected!" Granny May said, hugging herself while shivering.
"Indeed, but I must admit, I really enjoy how peaceful and quiet it is! Although I'm not a fan of how close it is to nature. But if I were to remove those hideous trees over there and add a little bit of pavement, it should look a lot better! I can see it now!" Paisley imagined, envisioning her ideal modifications.
"I don't think the Boss would like that, those are HIS trees!" Buzz explained.
"That's right! No one's cutting down any of my trees as long as I'm around. Besides, let's focus on our current mission. Now, how are we going to get rid of those Earth brats, Bumbling Biologists, and that Pesky Superhero?" Hacker asked, his mind already strategizing.
"Well, didn't you say they would be here? I don't see them anywhere!" The Butcher questioned.
Hacker shook his head, "No, I think they're most likely at Control Central right now, possibly talking with Motherboard and Dr. Marbles. They're probably thinking of ways to stop us and save the Earth."
"So, what exactly do you think we can do to stop them?" Mr. Big asked, seeking a plan from Hacker.
"Yeah! How exactly?" Ms. Question chimed in. "They are incredibly smart and resourceful."
"That's true. If we try to trap them, they'll probably find a way to escape, just like that time when Donitia, Gourmand, and I tried to trap those Wild Rats in the middle of the Antarctic Ocean on Christmas," Zach recalled.
"And when they managed to find a way back to Varmitech Village and thwarted us." Dabio added, much to Zach and the others' annoyance.
"Don't get us started on WordGirl. And I assume it's the same with you and the Cybersquad," Dr. Two-Brains replied, acknowledging the ingenuity of their adversaries.
"What about the Cybersquad?" Ledge asked, joining Harmony as they approached the group.
"Wow, Unky Hacker, I see that you made so many new friends!" Harmony cheerfully exclaimed.
"Unky Hacker? Friends?" Lady Redundant Woman asked, confused.
"Hey! What's the meaning of this?" The Butcher loudly asked, feeling perplexed.
"Ughh... This is my niece, Harmony," Hacker said, trying to downplay the situation.
"Hello, It's nice to meet you all! "She replied gracefully.
"Well, I, for one, think she's a very sweet little darling!" Donita happily exclaimed, leaning down to greet Harmony.
"Thanks, I think you're very pretty!" Harmony complimented.
"Ohh! Isn't she just a doll!" Donita gushed, delighted by the interaction.
Hacker moved closer to Harmony, bending down to be at her level. "That's very nice, dear, but I'm afraid my new friends and I are very busy right now. Can you please go play somewhere else? I'm sure Buzz and Delete would love to join you, right?" Hacker said, nodding towards the two henchmen while giving them a menacing stare.
"Of course, we would!" Delete happily exclaimed.
"Yeah, come on Harmony, let's go make a snowman or something," Buzz agreed, taking Harmony's hand and leading her outside. As the three ran off to play in the snow, Hacker and the rest of the villains returned inside to continue their planning.
...
As the group stepped out of the portal, their eyes finally adjusted to the surroundings, revealing an empty, seemingly endless white void with no sign of life or anything.
"What is this place? Are we in The M.N.S?" Matt asked quietly, a look of fear taking hold of his face.
"It sure is a lot emptier than I was expecting," WordGirl commented.
"I thought you said that the M.N.S would be made up of hallways of portals that led to other worlds," Martin asked, turning towards Dr. Marbles.
"That's because we're not in the Multiversal Networking System right now; we're in a... I guess you could say a type of barrier between Cyberspace and the M.N.S. This void was created as a means of protection. We just have to look for the entrance; it should be around here somewhere," Dr. Marbles explained.
"But how will we know when we find it?" Digit asked.
"We'll know soon enough," Dr. Marbles replied, not directly looking at him while he continued scanning the surroundings, feeling for a wall or something with his arms. For the Cybersquad, the experience was strange and unfamiliar.
Shortly after feeling the air around him, Dr. Marbles' face lit up, and he began to jump around with joy. "I've found it! I've found the entrance!" he exclaimed.
"Really? I don't see anything; it looks like we're still in the middle of nowhere," Digit said skeptically as Dr. Marbles ran over to the spot he was talking about.
"I think, after everything so far, he might have finally lost his marbles," Martin whispered, half-jokingly.
"What are you waiting for?" Dr. Marbles called out, capturing their attention again. Then, to their surprise, they all watched as he turned around and walked through some kind of wall, and then he was gone!
"Hey! Did you guys see that?" Matt exclaimed.
"He's gone! It's like he walked into some kind of wall, like some sort of magic trick!" Chris added.
"Come on!" WordGirl said as she flew towards the wall, passing through it and disappearing, with the others following suit.
On the other side of the "wall," they found themselves in a large, round futuristic-looking room. A large table occupied the center, with a giant monitor and keypad on one side and a doorway on the other, which they assumed led to the hallway of portals. Despite supposedly being abandoned for some time, the room was impeccably clean and in outstanding condition. Surprisingly, it still had power; as they entered, the lights flickered to life, shining brightly.
"Woah! This place is incredible!" Martin gasped.
"So this is what the Multiversal Networking System looks like, huh?" Digit remarked.
"Yeah, I can't believe we're actually here!" Jackie said in awe.
"You know, it reminds me of something you'd see in Star Warriors or something!" Inez observed, marveling at the futuristic setting.
"HALT!!!! Who dares enter the secret fortress of the Protectors of Cyberspace?" A loud electronic voice suddenly boomed from the other side of the room.
They all turned towards the monitor, where the voice had originated. The screen flickered to life, showing a realistic-looking man with blonde hair, dressed in a white undershirt, a black suit, and a matching black tie. The background displayed ever-changing colors of horizontal and vertical lines.
"Well, an-an-swer mE!" The man demanded as his voice glitched.
"Are you, by any chance, Max?" Inez asked, which seemed to surprise the man on the screen.
"What's s-s-s-suppose of you to know?" Max inquired. "State your business!"
"Well, you see, Dr. Marbles and Digit were cleaning out the lower storage room in Control Central, and while they were cleaning, Dr. Marbles found the Protector's of Cyberspace's old journal after accidentally knocking some stuff from the shelves down. After learning what was in the book, my friends and I, otherwise known as the Cybersquad, were called by him and Motherboard to find one of the crystals and enter The M.N.S in order to save the multiverse!" Matt explained.
"Which we did! We found them in a cave in Calamore!" Inez added as Matt took the crystal out of his backpack and presented it to Max.
"When I grabbed it from the pedestal in the cave, I was greeted by a hologram version of Arson, saying that we had to find the other crystals and save the multiverse," Matt continued. "He also mentioned that you could help us, by any chance."
"He also mentioned something about a chosen one," Jackie recalled.
"Interesting... But I don't mean to sound discouraging, b-b-but when someone were to find the journal and the first crystal, I was expecting it would be someone more... Worthy. No o-0offense," Max replied after carefully listening to their explanation. He kept quiet and carefully listened again when Martin began speaking.
"Well, you see, while this was happening, the villains from our world managed to defeat our city's superhero, WordGirl, and took over the Earth!"
"Indeed! And now we're worried that they might not only be a potential threat to Cyberspace but to the entirety of the multiverse as well!" Dr. Marbles fearfully explained.
"I see, if they're really capable of taking over both worlds, and if they get into the M-m-mm-multiversal Networking System, then we're in trouble, BIG trouble!" Max replied. "Luckily for you all, with me as your guide, I-I-I can help you find the other three crystals!"
"And with all the crystals, after we use them to save the multiverse, we can then use them to stop Hacker and the other villains and save Earth and Cyberspace!" Chris exclaimed.
"It's THE Hacker to you!" They all jumped when they suddenly heard that familiar voice. They turned to see Hacker standing at the entrance of the M.N.S, with all the villains around him, completely blocking their only exit. "That sounds like a pretty good plan you've come up with, I must admit. However, you're forgetting about the part where it's completely worthless; when me and these guys stop you and your pathetic plan!" He grinned as he went over and snatched the book from Matt.
"What are you doing here?" WordGirl angrily asked.
"Isn't it obvious? We've found out about your little plan to not only save your world and Cyberspace but to apparently save the multiverse as well!" Dr. Two-Brains said.
"Unfortunately for you, you have failed to do either of those!" Tobey wickedly remarked.
"Now, if you would be so kind as to give us that crystal, we'll be on our way!" Hacker smirkedly replied.
The Cybersquad and friends exchanged worried glances, realizing they were cornered. As WordGirl was about to jump in the air and apprehend Hacker and the villains, Mr. Big pulled a chunk of Lexonite from his coat and held it towards WordGirl, like a religious person holding a cross against an evil spirit. Upon being exposed to the substance again, she became weak and fell to the floor.
"Nice try, WordGirl! You know, I really thought you would've learned from the first time!" Mr. Big said, before laughing evilly.
Before the Cybersquad or Kratt brothers could react, they found themselves ambushed by Gourmand, covered in both ketchup and mustard by Chuck, and then pose-beamed by Donita. And as if to add insult to injury, The Hacker walked up to them, smiled wickedly, and delivered a sinister message that left them shocked and bewildered.
"Oh, and by the way, while you were here, we managed to find a way to get rid of Motherboard for good!" Hacker said with a twisted grin.
"Oh! You should see the look on your faces! They're priceless!" Donita chuckled.
"No way! We don't believe you!" Inez protested.
"That's right! The Cybersquad and I managed to find the cure and securely install it! Not to mention that I created a special mechanism that prevents any potential threats from entering her encryptor chip!" Dr. Marbles proclaimed.
"If that were true, why did I find so many glitches and errors in the mechanism's security code? Hmmm, care to explain?" Tobey asked.
"Yeah! Why were there so many errors in the cure? Aren't you supposed to be a super genius or something?" Ms. Question annoyingly asked.
"Well..." Dr. Marbles struggled to say anything before he let out a sigh. "Okay, the type of security mechanism I used was still in its early development, but I was planning to further add updates and improve it over time!"
"What did you all do to Motherboard, anyway?" Matt asked.
"Well, let's see; afterwards, I whammed your Motherboard in her important functions. Such as her Incryotor Chip, of course, but also her CPU and her Memory Alligator!" Whammer said while they looked at him and the other villains, completely shocked and disbelieving of what they had heard.
"So what are we going to do with them now?" Victoria Best asked.
"Well... How about... Maybe we... umm... "I've got nothing!" Zach confessed, looking at the other villains for ideas, which none of them could think of.
"Hey! Aren't we in a giant network of portals that lead anywhere in the multiverse?" Ledge asked after a few moments of silence.
"Yeah! That's true!" Zach grinned, as an idea came to mind.
Zach then turned towards Max, who was now looking at them silently. "Hey! Screen Guy! Open up one of these portals so we can trap them forever!" He ordered.
"No! I won't do it! I was programmed by the Protectors of Cyberspace to..."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah! Listen, NOW you're under MY orders, and I ORDER you to open one of these portals so we can throw them! I don't care which one you open or where it leads; JUST DO IT!!!" Hacker hollered.
"Max, NO!" Chris cried.
"I'm sorry, my friends, but it looks like I don't have a choice," Max sadly replied. "But I have faith in you! D-d-d-don't give up! You still have to find the other crystals. Don't let them get to them first!"
"It's kind of too late for that now!" Zach interrupted.
After being unpose-beamed, they were quickly grabbed by the villains and pulled towards the hallway, where one of the portals was lit up. Before they were thrown in, they had anything they could potentially use to help them get back, such as their Squawk Pads and Matt's backpack, as well as everything in Digit's chest cavity, confiscated from them.
One by one, they were thrown in, except for Dr. Marbles, who was left captured by the villains. Matt, being the last one, managed to get a good glance at their evil grins as they threw him into the portal.
As Matt and the others were thrown around in time and space, millions of questions ran through his head. They experienced a disorienting journey through the portal, witnessing strange landscapes and bizarre creatures passing by.
Finally, they reached the other end of the portal, and it seemed they had landed in some random person's house. The Cybersquad and friends carefully stood on their feet, and that's when they realized that they were in the presence of the owners.
The owner, a man wearing dark green pants and a white button-up shirt, was holding a beer in one of his hands. Around him on the couch were his three kids, a teenage son and daughter, a baby, and their pet Labrador, who all stared quietly at them without any movements or sounds.
"Alright, now what did I tell you all about opening portals to other dimensions?" What they presumed was the man's wife spoke as she entered from the kitchen, finally breaking the uncomfortable silence.